The good: the coaching staff decided Harris was ready to work with the starters.

Such opportunities don’t always come, especially for undrafted rookies, but the former UCLA Bruin has been seizing his chances since arriving in San Diego. Saturday’s arrangement continued at Sunday’s practice, where Harris opened with the starters and split first-team reps with veteran Mario Henderson.

“I was excited, to be honest with you,” Harris, 23, said of his conversation with Turner. “I’m not going to lie. I was a little bit nervous, too. But once you’re out there, it’s just football. The competition is a lot better, but as long as I can match their athleticism and do my techniques right, everything will work out.”

Harris has athleticism and intelligence, Turner says.

At 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, he also has size.

Still, despite a steady career in Westwood that included 42 starts, Harris watched seven rounds come and go last April like every other draft-eligible Bruin. He’s one of two in Chargers training camp; wide receiver Taylor Embree is the other.

“What he’s done,” Turner said of Harris, “from when we signed him as a free agent through the May and June work and when he came back with our early camp here, he’s just gotten better. He’s a big guy with long arms, and he’s done a good job in protection against some really good players.”

Harris, a native of Duarte, set the tone for UCLA’s running game at strongside tackle in its Pistol offense.

He credits the scheme for making him more versatile, which has come in handy in San Diego. Before Gaither became sidelined, Harris worked at second-team right tackle.

For tackle Jeromey Clary, the versatility is what makes Harris’ ascension up the depth chart most impressive.

“It’s really hard, not only for it to be your first NFL camp, but to play right and left tackle,” Clary said. “That’s pretty rough. People don’t really understand how backwards it can make you. Now you’re backside-on plays (you) used to be front-side on. Your feet are backwards. Your power hand is the other hand. It can be pretty confusing. He’s doing a pretty good job.”

For 15 straight years, an undrafted Chargers rookie has made the roster out of training camp.

Whether Harris will continue the streak is, obviously, too early to tell. And it’s no easy feat; even Pro Bowl guard Kris Dielman started on the Chargers’ practice squad.

But Harris is off to a strong start.

“I’m happy the Chargers called me up,” Harris said. “It’s cool to stay in SoCal. I’ve got a lot of fans back at home that are supporting me and pushing for me, so I’m just continuing on and getting better. ...

“Every practice is a game to me. It’s an interview. Coaches see everything on film. I’ve just to take every play, every practice one at a time.”